Inflammation is what happens when your body perceives a threat. Your body protects itself by sending white blood cells into tissue. That causes swelling, and that swelling causes pain.
Diet is one of the most common causes of inflammation. Choosing your foods carefully can save you from the side effects of inflammation Here are a few foods (that you probably love) known to cause inflammation.
Ice Cream
Ice cream contains two ingredients that are believed to cause inflammation. The first culprit is dairy.
Dairy cows are fed with foods that contain high levels of omega-6 fatty acids. Eating dairy products of those cows (like ice cream) may introduce those into your diet.
Ice cream (and those wonderful toppings) also contains sugar. Tests have shown that diets high in sugar and high-fructose corn syrup can cause inflammation.
Alcohol
Some studies have shown that alcohol in moderation has anti-inflammatory affects. “Moderation” is the key term there.
Drinking heavily can lead to inflammation. To make matters worse, many types of alcohol have quite a bit of sugar. Others are mixed with soda, which has a ton of sugar.
Overdoing it with alcohol can lead to problems down the road. Choose your drink wisely.
Fried chicken (or anything else that’s fried)
Think twice before you order that bucket of chicken. Fried foods are fried in vegetable oils which contain omega-6 fatty acids.
Now, you do need some of those omega-6 fatty acids. But a diet that’s heavy on fried food will give you too much, which leads to inflammation.
That applies to potato chips, French fries, fried pickles and pretty much anything you’d get from a food truck at a fair.
Juice
Here comes fructose again. What’s frightening about the amount of sugar in juice is that many parents give plenty of juice to their children thinking that it’s natural and healthy.
It can’t be that much sugar, right? A 12-ounce glass of grape juice contains 20 grams more sugar than a 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola (Source).
If you’re hoping to avoid inflammation, juice may not be the best drink for you.
Hot dogs (and other processed meats)
Franks, bologna and kielbasa are just a few of the processed meats that many Americans love. They all also cause inflammation (source).
There are two issues with processed meats that lead to inflammation. The first is that the nitrites used in meat processing may lead to inflammation. The second is that foods high in fat are thought to lead to inflammation.
So what can you eat?
There are plenty of tasty foods that are not a source of inflammation. These include:
- Berries
- Fish
- Avocados
- Mushrooms
- Grapes
- Nuts
These are just a few options available to you.
When it comes to inflammation, your diet matters
It may not seem like a big deal, but inflammation is an integral part of many painful conditions. Those who suffer from arthritis must be particularly careful about their diet.
Consider changing your diet to include foods that fight inflammation rather than cause it.
